September 15, 2017

Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt and a bipartisan coalition of 33 other state and territorial attorneys general sent a letter to credit reporting firm Equifax Inc. requesting that it disable links for enrollment in fee-based credit monitoring services. Earlier this week, AG Laxalt was among the first attorneys general in the country to formally announce the launch of an investigation into the cause of Equifax’s data breach that impacted approximately 143 million Americans. During the breach, which took place from mid-May through July of this year, Equifax neglected to keep important personal identifying information safe and allowed hackers to access names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and even some driver’s license numbers.

The letter details concerns the attorneys general have about how Equifax has handled its disclosure of the breach and the services it will provide to affected consumers. In response to the breach, Equifax began offering services to consumers who might be affected by the breach by offering both a free credit monitoring service and services that are fee-based. The bipartisan group of attorneys general who signed the letter believe that offering both of these services simultaneously may be confusing to consumers.

“Soon after this breach was disclosed, my office mobilized and opened an investigation to safeguard the identities and personal information of Nevadans,” said Laxalt. “My office remains committed to combating high-tech crime, and will continue working to mitigate the damage to consumers from this devastating breach.”

The letter also urges Equifax to agree to waive credit freeze fees for consumers who, as a result of this breach, have paid for credit freezes. In addition to Nevada, other states and territories who participated in issuing this letter included: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The issued letter is attached. To find out whether your personal information has been compromised as a result of this breach, visit https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/ Consumers can also call 866-477-7559 for more information. For those who believe they have had their data compromised as a result of this breach, visit the Office of the Nevada Attorney General’s website at ag.nv.gov for information on how to prevent further harm to your personal and financial information.